The Sugar Rush

The Industry’s High Fructose Corn Syrup Campaign is Leaving a Sour Taste!

In the face of growing public perception that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is playing a not-so-sweet role in making Americans chunky and sick, the Corn Refiners Association (CRA) launched a multimillion-dollar media campaign to defend their ubiquitous compound as a “quality” sweetener.

Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that the number of Americans with diabetes increased to 24 million in 2007. But that’s just the top of that deadly dessert: another 57 million Americans have pre-diabetes, a condition that vastly increases the risk of developing diabetes.

Our already failing health care system is ill-prepared for the absolute crush and cost of the coming wave of diabetics, yet the CRA is spending millions of dollars to persuade us to consume even more of their empty calories. With 30% of the population considered obese, the last thing our country needs is more sugar - of any kind.

Have you ever been on a roller coaster? Being lethargic and fatigued is like the slow uphill trip. Taking a swig of soda, sweetened with an average of 27 grams of high fructose corn syrup per serving, is like the roller coaster gaining momentum. As you drink the last drop, your hands are up and you’re riding high. But moments later you drop and your stomach is in your throat. Your body is at a sudden standstill, or worse, crashed! You’ve just been on a nutritional nightmare roller coaster ride that ends at depression and irritability. That’s what HFCS and other sugars do to your blood sugar: an intense pick-me-up, then a dramatic fall as your metabolism tries to manage the glycemic overload.

Princeton psychology professor, Bart Hoebel, led the study of sugar’s effect on the brain. They conducted an experiment where lab rats were offered a healthy grain-based meal alongside a sugary drink solution. Within a month, the rats had doubled their intake of the sugary drink, and reduced their intake of calories from the food containing the nutrients they needed. Experts say humans behave the same way.

Evidence indicates that a sugar binge alters brain function and fuels the desire for more of the sweet stuff. The alteration to brain function was much like the brain functions of those addicted to cocaine and heroin, complete with psychological and physical symptoms of withdrawal when sugar was denied.

First is the sugar “high” including the feel-good rush that people addicted to drugs crave. Hoebel says this occurs because of the release or increase in the neurotransmitter, dopamine, in a particular part of the brain that is associated with addictive behaviors. Next is the “blues” phase of withdrawal which includes chattering teeth, anxiety, desire for isolation, refusal to participate in everyday activities.  These sugar deprivation symptoms closely mimic the withdrawal symptoms that people experience when tobacco, alcohol, and drugs are withheld.

Of course, some people can enjoy a cocktail or cigarette without developing an addiction, and some can enjoy a cinnamon roll for breakfast without craving sugar the rest of the day. But some people cannot. For these sugarholics, Dr. Louis Aronne, director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Center at New York-Presbyterian Hospital’s Weill Cornell Medical Center, says there are treatments available to help kick a person’s desire for sweets.

He also warns that those who eat sugar first thing in the morning have a much more difficult time controlling their sweet tooth for the rest of the day. Dr. Aronne suggests eating protein and vegetables in the morning to minimize sugar cravings that thwart people’s best intentions as the hours in the day go by.

JUNK FOOD: AFFECTING WEIGHT, BEHAVIOR & LEARNING ABILITY!

A new study shows that diets high in processed foods not only result in weight issues, but they increase behavior problems and learning difficulties. Junk food prohibits the brain from working properly, leading to underachievement and a host of disorders. Junk food not only lacks the vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids that boost brain power but actually reduce the body's uptake of vital nutrients that help improve concentration. Research published in the American Journal Pediatrics indicates that many who are given medication for Attention Deficiency Disorder could actually be better off by simply improving their diet.

The study showed that giving children essential fats, found in fish and nuts, improves brain power. Their ability to learn increased and their behavior dramatically improved by supplementing their diets this way. Startling results in those who were underachieving and those who were disruptive were recorded after only three months.

"Food affects behavior,” said Lead Researcher, Dr. Alexandra Richardson of Oxford University's Physiology Department. “To ignore the role of nutrition is indefensible. If you pay attention to diet you can really improve behavior and learning.”